Common Respiratory illnesses And Symptoms To Watch Out For in Winter

Respiratory Illnesses Are Common In Colder Months

Respiratory illnesses are more common in winter season possibly because people spend more time indoors, allowing germs to pass more easily from one person to another. Moreover, cold weather may weaken the immune defence, making you sick. a team of scientists from Yale University announced their discovery that lower temperatures weaken the nose’s first line of immune defenses. In 2015, a study by scientists from Yale University found that lower temperatures weaken the nose’s first line of immune defenses, which explains why people experience nose-running, throat-burning, sniffles more often in cold weather. Drop in temperature may also worsen joint pain. A popular theory puts the blame on drops in barometric pressure, which make tendons, muscles, joints, or scar tissue swell, leading to pain, especially in arthritis patients. Both cold and flu can cause coughing, but a cough could also indicate something more serious. Below are five common respiratory illnesses and their symptoms you should watch out for in winters. 

Common Cold

If you catch common cold, you might be sneezing and coughing, having a runny nose, scratchy throat, low-grade fever, fatigue, chills and aches.

Flu

Fever, body aches, sneezing and coughing, sore throat, exhausted, headache, excessive fatigue are symptoms of flu. One may also vomit or have diarrhea.

Bronchitis

It is the inflammation of bronchi, the big tubes that bring air to the lungs, resulting in overproduction of mucus. It can cause frequent coughing that produces mucus, aches and pains, chills, headache, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath, watery eyes and wheezing.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia occurs when your lungs are infected, causing air sacs to fill with pus and other liquids. Common symptoms include confusion, fever, a mucus-producing cough, heavy sweating, shaking chills, lack of appetite, rapid breathing and pulse, shortness of breath, stabbing pain in the chest that’s worse when you breathe deeply or cough.

Pertussis Or Whooping Cough

This is a very contagious bacterial infection that mainly affects infants and young children. It starts like a common cold with symptoms such as runny nose, watery eyes, sore throat, and a slightly raised temperature. But as the disease progresses, one may get coughing bouts that end with a whooping sound as you gulp for air, vomiting during or after coughing fits, exhaustion after coughing fits.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Exposure To Common Cold Virus May Protect From COVID-19: Study

Exposure to the virus that causes common cold can provide protection against infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind COVID-19, according to a study.

The research, published on Tuesday in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, found that rhinovirus, the common respiratory virus, jump-starts the activity of interferon-stimulated genes.

These genes trigger early-response molecules in the immune system which can stop reproduction of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, within airway tissues infected with the cold, the researchers said.

Triggering these defences early in the course of COVID-19 infection holds promise to prevent or treat the infection, said senior study author, Ellen Foxman, assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine in the US.

One way to do this, Ms Foxman said, is by treating patients with interferons, an immune system protein which is also available as a drug.

"But it all depends upon the timing," she said.

Previous work showed that at the later stages of COVID-19, high interferon levels are associated with worse disease outcomes, and may fuel overactive immune responses.

However, recent genetic studies show that interferon-stimulated genes can also be protective in cases of COVID-19 infection.

The researchers wanted to study this defence system early in the course of COVID-19 infection.

They decided to study whether rhinoviruses would have beneficial impact against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The team infected lab-grown human airway tissue with the virus and found that for the first three days, viral load in the tissue doubled about every six hours.

However, the researchers found that reproduction of the COVID-19 virus was completely stopped in tissue which had been exposed to rhinovirus.

If antiviral defences were blocked, the SARS-CoV-2 could reproduce in airway tissue previously exposed to rhinovirus.

The same defences slowed down SARS-CoV-2 infection even without rhinovirus, but only if the infectious dose was low.

This suggests that the viral load at the time of exposure makes a difference in whether the body can effectively fight the infection, the researchers noted.

The team of researchers also studied nasal swab samples from patients diagnosed close to the start of infection.

They found evidence of rapid growth of SARS-CoV-2 in the first few days of infection, followed by activation of the body's defences.

According to their findings, the virus typically increased rapidly for the first few days of infection, before host defences kicked in, doubling about every six hours as seen in the lab.

In some patients the virus grew even faster, the researchers found.

"There appears to be a viral sweet spot at the beginning of COVID-19, during which the virus replicates exponentially before it triggers a strong defence response," Ms Foxman said.

She explained that interferon treatment holds promise but it could be tricky, because it would be mostly effective in the days immediately after infection, when many people exhibit no symptoms.

In theory, interferon treatment could be used as a preventive in people at high risk who have been in close contact with others diagnosed with COVID-19, they said.

Trials of interferon in COVID-19 are underway, and so far show a possible benefit early in infection, but not when given later.

These findings may help explain why at times of year when colds are common, rates of infections with other viruses such as influenza tend to be lower, Ms Foxman added.
 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Hot milk or Cold milk: Which is better for health?

Milk is probably the most widely consumed dairy product in Indian households. A glass of milk is an intergral part of every child’s household and is craved by a lot of adults too. Packed with protein, magenisum, calcium, zinc, vitamin D and potassium, milk is a storehouse of nutrients.

While many people prefer it piping hot, some people like sipping cold milk. Be it cold milk or hot milk, both of them have their own set of benefits. Here are a few health benefits of hot and cold milk and when you should consume them.
 
Hot milk benefits

Better sleep: One major benefit of consuming hot milk before retiring to bed is good sleep. Milk contains amino acid which helps in inducing better sleep. These acids get activated when milk is warm.

Cure for common cold: Drinking hot milk and honey is an excellent home remedy to cure common cold. The drink is said to have an anti-bacterial effect, which helps in giving you relief from such ailments.

Tackling PMS: For women who have a hard time during period, hot milk and turmeric is the answer. The presence of potassium in milk helps in soothing cramps, while adding turmeric to hot milk helps in flushing out toxins from the body.

Cold milk benefits
Relieves stomach ulcers: If you frequently suffer from stomach ulcers and acidity, then cold milk acts like a magic remedy. You can also mix a tablespoon of ‘Isabgol’ in a glass of cold milk if you are suffering from digestion problems, as it acts as a remedy to acid reflux.

Helps in weight loss: Believe it or not, cold milk actually helps in losing weight. The presence of calcium in cold milk improves your body’s metabolism, and thus burns more calories. Drinking a glass of milk also keeps you full for long and also helps you avoid unnecessary snacking.

Good for skin: Cold milk is packed with electrolytes that can help your body combat dehydration. It will keep your body hydrated and skin glowing. The best time to drink cold milk is early in the morning.

Keep in mind that you avoid drinking cold milk during winters, as it can cause cold and cough.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement